Several people who have seen my art work recently have asked about my creative process. So, for those of you who are interested: I use an integral-transpersonal creative approach, going into deep meditation and contemplation on the multiple levels of being and becoming of the moment and then letting my hand move from that state of being. I feel guided at every step. First I digitally draw patterns as the creative flow moves me, and then when I get a sense of completion for that phase I take the drawing patterns and play with them with different filters and tools, again letting myself be guided by whatever is seeking to move through me. Finally I reach a point of feeling a sense of completion for the whole creative work. At this point, if I have not already had a title revealed to me during the process, I seek to receive the title with an inner guidance practice I have developed from my years of research into the experience of inner guidance. Finally, when it feels like the right moment, I send the piece out into the cybersphere with a meditation/prayer asking that it be a blessing onto others and the world.
Here is a short Art-in-Motion video I created that shows the different stages of a recent work I created:
Manifestation Gate - Art-in-Motion Video (MAK)
Currently and for the last few years I have been creating only through the digital art medium. This arose out of the need to not produce any directly physical works since I was nomadic and could not carry or store them anywhere.
For the last year and a half I have tried to create an art work every single day and share it, no matter how I personally feel about its aesthetic value. This creative process is therapeutic for me, and hopefully for others as well, as I attempt to capture and convey various states and structures of consciousness and patterns of being and becoming. It is also a political act for me in that I attempt to capture the inner and outer zeitgeist of myself and the world at any given moment. Because of this orientation I feel as though I need to put these works out as they are being channeled through me, no matter what I think of the final piece. This process has been affirmed to me by my discovery that the pieces that I feel the most profoundly affected by are not always the ones that most deeply affect others, and vice versa. I really do feel as if the creative muse is in charge here and my job is merely to be the channel and let go of the rest.
Compassion Gate (MAK)
For those who are interested in the technologies I am using: I am currently using an old iPad and stylus. I start with one of two drawing apps, ArtStudio and Sketchbook, where I channel the patterns coming through me using my stylus and the apps' various brushes and tools. Then I process the image further in the Paper Artist app. I then use Apple Photos app to view the variations I created for a piece and seek the guidance for which piece is the “one.” When the choice is clear I bring that image into the Instagram app and do some final adjustments to the work before sending it out to the world.
For those who want to check out more of my recent works of art you can find them on my Tumblr blog or Instagram feed.
If you are touched by my work and would like a print of one of my pieces check out my Artpal page for print options. If you cannot find the piece you want on Artpal, you can contact me directly at arcofconsciousness@gmail.com and I will make it available for purchase on Artpal for you.
And finally I would like to express my deep gratitude for Mr. Lietso, my 7th grade science teacher, who threatened to haunt me after he died if I did not live my life as an artist; to Jill Mellick, who taught me how to use art for personal and collective transformation; to James Fadiman for teaching me about transpersonal and transformative storytelling; to Ken Wilber and Michael Schwartz for inspiring me to explore an integral approach to art and media; to fellow integral artist Jimmy Lusero for re-awakening the artist in me after years of creative slumber; to dear friends Jonathan Steigman and William Kueppers, and my amazing sister Mardi who gave me shelter and helped me through these challenging yet creative times; and to all my friends, family members, colleagues and strangers who bore witness to my journey and gave me their wondrous words, likes and emoji’s in affirmation of my art work along the way.
Drawing on paper has a tactile feel to it. Drawing on a mobile device like a large smartphone or tablet is tactile as well but in a completely different way for me.
When I draw on paper I have a feeling of connection to the objective physical world and a sense of being able to alter or augment it on an abstract or existential level by channeling an inner creative force through my physical form and onto another physical form...
When I draw on a mobile device I also have the sense that I am drawing onto a physical form but instead of feeling as though I am altering or augmenting the physical world, I have the sense that my work is heading into the ether or being transmitted onto some other plane of existence, as though the device is like an etch-a-sketch-like window to another dimension. The ability to share my images instantly to various social networks adds to this sensation of creating in a realm beyond form.
